Council receives donation for hockey nets

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
 HOULTON, Maine — With little on the agenda, the Houlton Town Council whipped through its Dec. 23 meeting in less than 30 minutes.   The next meeting, however, is likely to generate far more discussion as the 2014 municipal budget goes under the microscope and gets public hearing Monday, Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. At $9,853,105, the 2014 budget is up over the previous year. The municipal side of the budget is $7,088,535, which is an increase of $133,264 (1.9 percent) over the previous year. But when projected increases in the RSU 29 budget and County tax are factored in, the overall budget is up $373,804 over the 2013 spending plan.
Members of the public will be able to weigh-in on the budget at the Jan. 13 meeting.
During last Monday’s gathering, the town accepted a donation $554.93 from Mitch and Lori Holmes for new netting and padding on the goal posts at the John Millar Civic Center.
The council also approved renewal of special amusement permits for dancing and entertainment for the Houlton Lodge of Elks and American Legion Post No. 47.
A scheduled update on the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation by Jon McLaughlin was tabled until Jan. 27.
Town Manager Eugene Conlogue informed the council that a planned “Home and Garden” show at the Millar Civic Center has been scrapped. The last weekend in March had been selected as the date for the show, but that would have been two weeks before the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce’s annual Trade Show.
Many of the vendors that the town planned to invite are also vendors at the trade show and town officials feared those vendors would choose one or the other to participate in.
“We believe it is in the town’s best interest not to have that duplication,” Conlogue said.
McLaughlin suggested the town could combine with SADC for its fall Energy Expo, which was well attended last year.
The next regular meeting of the Houlton Town Council is slated for Monday, Jan. 13 at 6 p.m.